Page 59 of Healing Elixirs & Wicked Crows

Icouldn't make out the rest.My lips pressed into a firm line as I swallowed the lump in my throat.Crawling toward her, my stomach dropped at the sight of her torn pack, everything gone.Her hope shredded along with her belongings.Somehow, I had survived the unaki in my weak crow form.Kneeling over Rosemary, my gaze locked on the slow rise and fall of her chest, and I prayed to any gods listening that she would be okay.I couldn't lose her now, not after just getting her back.

"My dearest Rosie," I whispered, my fingers brushing a lock of her hair from her face as my eyes lingered over her body, searching for any wounds that could cause the blood pooling into the soil around her.

Crimson stained the side of her dress, seeping into the skirts.A thick gash cut through her shoulder and down her arm.As I pulled at the fabric, I uncovered the wound slicing through her flesh.I wished she would wake.She was the healer who always knew what to do.I tore the sleeve away to expose the injury.It didn't look dirty, thankfully, since I had no water left.I ripped the sleeve further and tied it around her arm.When she awoke, she could make a poultice or something.For now, this should at least stop the bleeding.

With soft, deliberate motions, my hands searched for any other injury, hoping to find none.Her lips parted slightly, and my attention shifted to their softness.Her blood splattered cheeks, the stillness of her features, all of it sent terror screaming through my veins.This had to be a nightmare.The echo still held me within its grasp; that had to be it.This couldn't be real.

"Oh, Rosie, my love," I cried over her, my fingers brushing away the crimson.

Her eyelids fluttered open, those warm, brown orbs staring up at me.That small crease between her brow deepened as she opened and closed her mouth.She winced as she turned her gaze toward her pack, and then that confusion evaporated as understanding dawned.She groaned, lifting herself up onto her elbows.Her fingers lifted, grazing the hard line of my jaw ever so slightly.

The concern in her voice nearly undid me.The memory of lying helpless while she faced danger alone burned in my chest like acid.I'd been utterly useless.Worse than useless, I'd been a liability, something she'd had to worry about protecting while fighting for both our lives.The curse that stole my fae form didn't just make me vulnerable; it made me a burden to the woman I loved.

How many more times would this happen?How many more times would she have to risk herself to save me because I couldn't control when the transformation struck?

"Are you okay?"she asked, concern evident in her tone as her gaze roamed over me.

"Am I okay?"My words came out sharper than I intended, anger and terror entwined with the memory of helplessness in that cursed form.This journey had almost claimed her life last night, and two days ago with that damn echo, not to mention those shifters.I had failed to protect her from any of the dangers she’d faced in the past days.Yet, when she woke, her first concern was for me.

I shook my head, breaking away from her gaze.For a moment, I thought she’d died when I found her lying in a pool of her own blood.At that moment, I realized I couldn't exist in a world without her.I couldn't endure that loss again.Turning back to her, I felt a newfound resolve.No more wasting time or hiding my feelings.I wouldn't betray her.Though I knew she deserved more than I could offer, I vowed to fight to be the man she deserved.However long the curse allowed, I would spend it with her.And when it finally robbed me of my fae form, I'd stay by her side, even as a crow.

Rosemary sat up, her soft fingers resting on my arm."Elias?Are you okay?"

I ran my hands through my hair, my heart pounding in my chest."Rosie," I said, my gaze locking onto hers.“I love you.I've loved you since before I understood what love meant, and I'll love you forever.There has never been anyone but you.You are the air that I breathe, and the blood in my veins.You are life."I took her face into my hands, her mouth a breath away from mine."I’ve lived without you for so long.I can’t survive another moment without you."

My lips slammed into hers, possessive and demanding as I claimed her.Every ounce of my heart, every passionate emotion that had thrummed through my veins, every desperate thought about her was in that kiss.Words would never be enough for what she meant to me.

She kissed me back just as fiercely."I—" Our tongues warred with each other, desperate to devour the other."Don't—" Her fingers combed through my hair, holding me to her."Understand."

"You do not need to," I whispered against her lips."I love you more than anything in this world.I will always love you."

She pulled away then, her fingers still twined through my hair even as that small furrow in her brow returned."You don't even know me," she replied."We've known each other only a short time.How?"

I kissed the hollow of her neck, and she groaned.My body sang for her touch, for her taste."Oh, princess.My soul has always known yours, it has always been yours," I said, my words breathy against her throat.

Her hands glided up my chest, igniting a warmth as our mouths met again.Our tongues danced, and we held each other tightly but gently, wary of each other’s injuries.The wind whispered through the leaves, creating a soft symphony as if nature herself applauded this moment.I nipped her lower lip, my heart racing at her quick gasp.Despite the weakness from the recent trials, I gathered her in my arms, carried her away from the site of our battle with the unaki, and gently laid her beside a patch of wildflowers.

She breathed in deeply, sighing contentedly at the pleasant aroma of the flowers.Their sweetness settled within the air around us as I attentively pulled her dress down her shoulders.Her smooth skin glowed beneath the golden light of the sun, and my fingers ached to touch every last inch of it.I traced elegant patterns into her skin, invisible runes of love and endearment, my mouth going dry as her flesh pebbled beneath my touch.Her back arched, and the curve of her body made me hard.

Rosemary groaned as her fingers trailed lightly across her shoulders and down her breasts.They continued further, my gaze fixed to their path as I held her hips.She bunched the fabric of her skirts into her hands and shimmied until all of her lay before me.When I glanced up into her warm brown gaze, she watched me, a lusty glimmer waiting to see what I would do.

"Gods," I said, my voice on the precipice of failing me."You are perfect."

My mouth came down onto hers hard as my fingers tore at my clothing.With all of her bare before me, I took my time trailing kisses down her body, paying special, delicate attention around the bruises and cuts of our journey.The small whimpering sounds she made undid me, but I forced myself to slow down so that I could give her the attention she deserved.As I came to the crease at her inner leg, her leg hooked behind my head.

"Oh, gods," she breathed, her head falling back into the wildflowers as her fingers dug into the grassy ground at our sides.

I needed to worship her.While we had given in to each other last night, this was different.This was raw, emotional need.I needed to feel all of her, to show her the love that I felt for her, to worship every inch of her.My moist lips hovered just above her sensitive flesh as I kissed her thighs, her legs, everywhere but her center.

"Elias," she pleaded, her half-lidded eyes staring down at where I nestled between her legs.

I brought my mouth to her core, dragging my tongue through her warmth.With my lips against her, I said, "I love the feel of your heat, your arousal, against my mouth."I sent my tongue darting into her folds, giving a slow, purposeful thrust."Mmmm.I love the taste of you even more."

With barely there touches and kisses, I teased her.My fingers trailed along her skin, one playing with her breasts, the other splayed against her inner thigh.I grazed her nipple with the pad of my thumb then pulled away.I inched closer to that nub of pleasure, my fingers damp with her want, then cut a path down her thigh.My kisses played with her warmth, but never long enough to let her reach those waves of ecstasy.

"Elias," she cried, her fingers knotted in my hair."Please."

My lips quirked at the need in her voice."Please what, princess?"